My husband and I are going to Italy in the end of September, starting in Rome for five days. Next we'll have 11 days to spend in the Tuscany countryside, Florence, and possibly an overnight and a full day in Bologna before heading to the airport in Milan for our trip home. We want to avoid packing and unpacking. I also tend to overdo it when I plan, so we're trying not to do too much in a day. Our interests: history, food, art & architecture, beautiful countryside. Though we are always happy to drink wine, wine tours aren't the focus of our trip. We don't mind driving because we can wander, set our own pace, get out of the car, but we like a few small-group day tours, too. We're looking at Siena and Florence as our bases, with a schedule something like this:
Day 1: Travel to Siena from Rome. Five nights in or outside Siena, somewhere with parking.
Day 2: In Siena (rest and sightseeing).
Day 3: Volterra/San Gimignano small-group day tour
Day 4: Pick up rental car, do Rick Steves' Montalcino-Montepulciano-Pienza loop, back to Siena.
Day 5: Do RS Crete Senese loop, back to Siena, return car.
Day 6: To Florence (early). Four or five nights in Florence.
Days 7 & 8. In Florence.
Day 9. Day trip to Lucca, possibly Pisa, maybe a small group-tour.
Day 10. Possibly to Bologna for a day and overnight (food focus).
Day 11. To Milan, overnight at airport for trip home.
Two small regrets: Assisi and a coastal town aren't on this list.
Questions: Is this a realistic pace? Is Siena a good base? Should we add a stay in Lucca? Any other thoughts? We're flexible and appreciate ideas. Thanks very much.